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Re: Help w/IIgs (*LONG*)

In article <CAnw79.62C@freenet.carleton.ca>, ab772@Freenet.carleton.ca (Ron Marcil) writes:
|> 
|>     My brother just bought an Apple IIGS. I will have to install this
|> machine. This causes some problems since a)I have never touched a IIGS and
|> b)because he does not live in Ottawa, I will have the machine here only
|> for a few hours.
|> 
|>     I would very much appreciate the help of all you compassionate souls
|> in answering the following questions.
|>  
|>     The system:
|> 
|>         * Apple IIGS (I have no idea what ROM)

The ROM version is shown on your monitor when you boot the computer.
To find out what cards and how much ROM you have you should open the case
of your GS. Unfortunately, describing how to open the case in English goes
beyond my abilities. 

|> 
|>         * Unknown RAM size, possibly 1 meg
|> 
|>         * Modem in slot 2 (at least a card with 2 phone connections)
|> 
|>         * Mouse in slot 4 (I presume slot 4)

Your mouse is not attached to keyboard (normally at the upper right corner) ?
It seems that you have a non-standard-GS mouse.

|> 
|>         * 3.5" drive connected to slot 5
|> 
|>         * Duo drive? (2 5.25" drives) in slot 6
|> 
|>         * 20? meg SCSI hard drive in slot 7 (external)
|> 
|>         * One 3.5" floppy with a GS/OS of unknown version

Can you boot this floppy? Does it say "ProDOS 16 version xx" or does it show
a slowly filling bar with "Welcome to the Apple IIGS" or "System 6.0" just
above the bar? See describtion below.

|> 
|>     
|>     The problems:
|> 
|>         1) I may have to format the hard drive. A boot up with the system
|> under scan mode doesn`t boot if there are no floppies. I had my brother
|> try to get a catalog using Copy II+ v8.3 under Prodos 1.2. This resulted
|> in an error that I suspect was caused by the old Prodos.
|> 
|>     Is this possible?

Normally not. ProDOS 1.2 and Copy II+ 8.3 are ancient but you should be
able to catalog the hard disk if it's properly formatted.
Have you given the hard disk enough time to start up ? And is the slot in which 
your SCSI controller card is plugged set correctly. Do the following:
- Take every floppy out of its disk. Turn off the GS and the hard disk. 
- After waiting 20 secs turn the hard disk on again (the GS stays turned down)
and wait another 15 secs. You should hear the hard disk start rotating.
- Press the OPTION key (near the left down corner of the keyboard) 
  *while you turn on the GS*. Don't release your finger from the OPTION key 
  until you see a menu like:
  1 - Enter Control Panel
  2 - Set System speed to 50 Hz
  3 - Set System speed to 60 Hz
  4 - continue restarting (or something similar)

- Press "1" to enter the Control Panel. You should now be in a ROM resident 
  program that lets to you manipulate several system parameters. 
- Select "Slots" (with the arrow keys) and press <Return>. Another menu
  describing the slot settings should show up. 
- Look at the menu item "slot 7" (where your hard disk resides). If it doesn't
  say "Your card" change it to "Your card" (using arrow keys and
  spacebar/return).
- In a similar fashion change the setting of "startup slot" to "Scan".
- Leave the "slots" menu by pressing <Return>. This will make the changes you
  have made permanent. 
- Choose "Quit". After a second you should hear a beep and then 
  "Apple IIGS ROM version xx" and "Copyright Apple Computers ..." should
  appear on the screen.
- Just wait and see. If your hard drive properly formatted and an OS is 
  installed your GS should now boot into a start program (usually the Finder).
  If the GS can't start from the hard disk, after some seconds you should see 
  a little apple mousetext character sliding from one side of the screen to
  the other and vica versa. 
- If you cannot start from your hard disk, put a floppy in the disk drive
  (you wrote that you have one) and press OpenApple-Control-Reset. 
  The OpenApple key is the one right to the OPTION key.

|> 
|>     If I do have to format the hard drive, what program should I use?
|> 
|>     Will Copy II+ v8.3 do the trick?

I don't think so.

|> 
|>     Is there a formatting option under the GS/OS?

Yes, but only for high level formatting.

|> 
|>         2) A modem is very nice but I don`t have any comm program for an
|> Apple II. I saw a few programs in the file library of this board.
|> 
|>     Do you have any suggestion that does not involve large sums of money?
|> 
|>         3) The IIGS will mainly be used to run programs I've written to
|> run on a IIc. I've made very little use of the ROM so there shouldn`t be
|> any problems there. The programs do run on an unenhanced IIe, an enhanced
|> IIe and the IIc. The only problem with the unenhanced IIe is the lack of
|> mousetext chars.
|> 
|>     Do you know of any incompabilities between the IIc ROM and the IIGS ROM?

No. If the programs are properly written (no use of undocumented entrypoints,
etc.) they'll run on the GS. The GS has mousetext characters, too.

|> 
|>         4) There are many files for the GS on this board, unfortunately
|> the info on them is pretty sparse.

Please read the FAQs. It describes how to download these files.

|> 
|>     Are there any of these files no self-respecting IIGS owner cannot do
|> without?

Well, there are many programs that make life much easier, but none of these are
essential for making a GS work.

|> 
|>         5) With the introduction of the GS, Apple came out with Prodos8,
|> and Prodos16. I think Prodos16 is different from the GS/OS.
|> 
|>     If so, does applesoft run under Prodos16? (I assume not)

Yes, Applesoft programs can be launched from ProDOS 16 and GS/OS. You can 
think of GS/OS as a successor of ProDOS 16. If you have booted into GS/OS, GS/OS
will launch ProDOS 8 which will launch BASIC.SYSTEM which will start the
Applesoft program. After you've finished with Applesoft, simply type "bye"
from the Applesoft prompt ("]") and you'll return to ProDOS 16/GSOS.

|> 
|>     My assembler is Merlin 8/16. Would it be possible to re-assemble my
|> Merlin 8 source under Merlin 16 and end up with a program that runs under
|> Prodos16?

I don't use Merlin 8/16, but I believe that to have change all ProDOS 8 calls
to ProDOS 16/GSOS calls if you want to make your program a ProDOS 16 program.
Such a program would only run on a GS, not on a II+/e/c.

|> 
|>         6) As you must realize from these questions I am totally
|> unfamiliar with the IIGS. I would really appreciate your comments and
|> suggestions.

Everybody starts at the beginning. That's the only way it works. Your experience
with an IIc should be helpful, off course.

|> 
|> -- 
|> 
|>      Ron Marcil 
|>      Vanier, Ontario, CANADA
|>      ab772@Freenet.carleton.ca

Stefan Voss
(voss@ira.uka.de)